Now perhaps the biggest question of all: What is the pain level of a septum piercing? Rest your nerves, because according to Thompson septum piercing pain is little-to-none. This is due to the "sweet spot" in the septum, which is a membrane of skin up from the cartilage of the nose. "This is where we pierce," Thompson says. "It heals a lot faster and is a lot less painful than piercing through cartilage."

Only problem? Not everyone possesses the sacred sweet spot. For those who have a deviated septum (aka a crooked septum), this can change the entire outcome of the piercing, from the angle and healing time to the pain level. "Not everyone is the perfect candidate for a septum piercing, but it would have to be an extreme deviation for me to turn someone away," Thompson says. "Usually it just changes the angle slightly, and is a bit more painful -- but still comes out looking great." As for the general public, rest assured your pain level is easy breezy.

"The nervous system is for protection, so you have way more nerve endings on the outside of your nose than on the inside of your nose," Thompson explains. "There's not a lot of nerve endings in that part of your septum, so a nostril piercing is going to hurt ten times more than a septum piercing." On a scale of one to ten, ten being extremely painful, Thompson rates the pain of a septum piercing at a two or three.

So you've made the commitment to your new badass septum piercing and are likely anxious to show it off to the world (get your selfie stick ready), but first, we need to talk septum piercing aftercare. "Septum piercings have a three to four month healing time," Thompson says. "And the more you take care of it right off the bat, the faster it will heal. You really have to try to screw up a septum piercing to get an infection." If you suddenly find you have swollen lymph nodes and a high fever, these are telltale signs of an infection. If you're experiencing either of these symptoms, get in to see your doc right away.

Thompson recommends washing your septum piercing once a day, preferably in the shower, using soap (Thompson loves Dr. Bronners Pure Castile Liquid Soap, $13.49) and water for the outside of the piercing, and a saline solution for the inside portion of the septum piercing. "You never want to use soap or astringent on the inside the nostril itself, because it's a mucus membrane and you'll just dry it out and irritate it," Thompson explains. "The nostril's job is to trap and kill bacteria. It doesn't need your help to do that."

While you should be diligent with cleaning your freshly pierced septum, Thompson warns not to over wash, or more importantly, not to constantly play with it (yes, we know that's tough). If you think about it, you use your hands all day, every day. So you're picking up multiple strains of bacteria every time you touch something. "If you don't wash your hands and you're playing with or touching your septum jewelry, you're transferring germs and bacteria to that area," Thompson says. "So stop touching your piercings. If you can't, make sure you're washing your hands prior to." Judging from his dramatic sigh as he said this, this is a common error many clients make.

Not sure why you'd want to, but hey, it's your face. Should you ever decide it's time to retire your edgy septum piercing, rest assured your nose will look the same as it did before you pierced it. While scarring is inevitable (hello, you drove metal through your body), the good news is no one sees the scar tissue inside your nose. "If you let your piercing heal completely (keeping it in over a year), the hole will probably stay open for the rest of your life," Thompson says. "The opening will shrink, but you'll be able to put something back in should you ever decide you want it back."

We should also note that septum piercings possess a unique quality that few other facial piercings can replicate: You can hide it. If your septum piercing jewelry has a space (think: curved barbell), you can easily hide the piercing within your nose so you don't have to deal with smartass remarks from conservative family members. Have a job interview coming up? Simply slide that baby up, even after immediately getting it pierced, and your hidden gem will stay concealed.

Need further convincing to keep your septum piercing in forever? Scroll on to see the hottest septum piercings we're totally dying to debut.

Who says septum piercings give off a grunge-only vibe? This dainty septum piercing serves as a subtle accessory to her ultraglam makeup (and this piercing was done by Thompson himself).

Image via @bodyelectrictattoo

What better way to show off your septum piercing than pairing it with mermaid-inspired locks?

Image via @_kiera_rose_